The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 286
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 286
286. Massacre
Until just moments ago, Baal’s mood had been far from pleasant.
No matter how much it was his lord’s command, surveilling a mere human was hardly an enjoyable task.
Especially when that human dared speak to his lord without proper respect, addressing him with casual familiarity.
‘A wretched insect without a shred of courtesy.’
His displeasure was brief, however.
As Baal departed the Demon King’s Castle, his lord’s message reached his mind.
[Baal. Watch this human called Black Scythe carefully. Humans are inherently untrustworthy creatures. He surely harbors some ulterior motive. Without question, rather than kill Michael, he will seize the opportunity to flee. So keep a close eye on him, and when the moment comes, end him. Bring me his soul. Even if he does kill Michael as promised.]
Baal could not respond to Phlunikthos’s command.
Only those with the qualification of a god could send such a message.
So he answered silently instead.
‘Have no concerns, Archduke. I shall bring Black Scythe’s soul as you have ordered.’
His lord had commanded him to kill the human regardless of whether he kept his promise.
From the start, his lord had never intended to let the human live.
‘This is precisely why I admire you, Archduke.’
A sinister grin spread across Baal’s face.
The gloom that had weighed on him moments before melted away like snow.
Baal’s task from this point forward was simple.
Surveil Black Scythe while cloaked in invisibility, then intervene at the opportune moment.
‘Of course, I’ll maintain a distance of at least thirty meters.’
Players possessed the ability to detect invisibility, so he needed to keep sufficient distance.
‘Let’s see you try to escape. The moment you show even the slightest suspicious behavior, I’ll sever your head without mercy.’
Baal harbored no belief that Black Scythe would actually fight Michael, as his lord suggested.
Surely the human would notice his presence and hide beneath Michael’s wings.
‘It won’t matter if you hide behind Michael’s back. By the rules, Michael cannot attack me, nor can I attack him.’
But killing a player posed no violation of the rules whatsoever.
‘Presumptuous insect. Wherever you hide, I’ll tear you to shreds.’
Baal pursued Black Scythe with eager anticipation.
* * *
Fluttering—
Ryu Min glided through the sky with wings spread wide before the battlefield came into view.
[Aaahhh! Kill them!]
[Damn demons! Send them all to the Underworld!]
[I’ll send you to that heaven you love so much, you angel bastards!]
The battlefield remained fierce.
It was the same scene as before Ryu Min departed for the Demon King’s Castle.
The only difference was that the forces, once numbering fifteen thousand, had dwindled to mere thousands, and one side had seized the advantage.
‘At this rate, the Celestial Tribe will win.’
The Demon Tribe, which had overwhelmed in numbers, had now become comparable to the Celestial Tribe.
Just looking at the corpses scattered about, there were far more from the Demon Tribe.
‘This must be thanks to us humans joining in.’
The variable in this war was none other than the players.
Round 18 was designed so that while the Celestial Tribe was originally at a disadvantage, the outcome could be reversed depending on the players’ performance.
And those results were manifesting clearly now.
‘With an unexpectedly large number of players surviving, and supporters like Buffer and the Priests holding strong, the Celestial Tribe has no choice but to have the advantage.’
In a large-scale war like this, the role that wielded the greatest influence was undoubtedly the supporter.
They were buffing not only the players but the angels as well, so there was no way they could lose.
‘Looking at this, Min Ju-ri will definitely take first place in contribution. Or should I say second, since I’m about to step in?’
Ryu Min gazed down from the sky and searched for the players.
Members of the Death God Cult could be seen fighting here and there.
‘Fortunately, they haven’t died.’
Min Ju-ri and the other supporters were staying back as instructed, keeping themselves safe.
Relieved that the core members hadn’t perished, Ryu Min turned his gaze.
Now it was time to kill the angels.
‘There’s quite a feast here.’
Ryu Min grinned and approached an angel.
Checking his status window, his stats had doubled as the Angel Slayer title activated.
When he approached a demon next, the effect of the [One Who Opposes Evil] title doubled his stats again.
‘Having both the Celestial Tribe and Demon Tribe here is quite convenient.’
His stats had swelled to a total of four times their original value.
Ryu Min activated Death God Transformation and checked his stat window.
-Strength: 11,058,094, Intelligence: 10,056,836
-Agility: 10,052,771, Luck: 10,061,066
‘This is incredible. Ten million per stat.’
To raise his exponentially increased stats even further, Ryu Min sought out Min Ju-ri.
“Oh? Black Scythe? What’s the matter?”
Despite appearing as only a black silhouette due to Death God Transformation, she recognized him.
Perhaps she’d grown accustomed to it after seeing him several times.
“I need buffs, so I’d appreciate it if you could cast Buff Zone.”
“Ah, just a moment. I was waiting for the cooldown to reset… but it’s ready now!”
Min Ju-ri activated Buff Zone as the cooldown expired.
A golden magical circle spread across the ground, and all allied units within its range had their buffs enhanced by one tier.
The Blessing applied to Ryu Min increased from 80% to 100%.
“Thanks.”
With that, Ryu Min called out to Yamtti, who was nearby.
“Yamtti.”
“Yes, Black Scythe.”
“Release a hundred Millworms.”
“Understood.”
The Millworms I had tamed on Earth were unleashed into the Other World, and I immediately crushed them beneath my feet.
Crunch—!
[Current Kill Count: 100/100]
[All stats increased by 100% due to Massacre Rune effect.]
‘That stacks the Massacre Rune stats as well.’
I glanced down at the message below.
[391 enemy entities detected within a 100-meter radius.]
[All stats increased by 100% due to One Against Hundred Rune effect.]
‘I’ve maxed out the One Against Hundred effect too.’
I even used potions to maximize all my stats.
There were no more stats to raise.
Now it was time to activate the buffs.
[You have been blessed with Demon’s Blessing.]
[The following effects apply based on your current total stat sum (91,619,482):]
[Upon defeating an Angel, you gain Gold equal to 1x your base (91,619,482). This can increase up to 1,000x (91,619,482,000) depending on the Angel’s rank.]
It increases up to a maximum of 1,000 times (91,619,482,000) depending on the Angel’s level.]
[Upon defeating an Angel, you gain Stat Points equal to 0.01% of your base (9,161). This can increase up to 10% (9,161,948) depending on the Angel’s rank.]
It increases by up to 10% (9,161,948) depending on Angel’s level.]
[Your reputation with the Demon Faction increases slightly upon defeating an Angel.]
[The buff persists until the end of this round.]
I activated the blessing using the maximum stats I could raise.
With the Demon Archduke’s buff on top of this, I was curious to see how many stats I’d gain from killing an Angel.
‘Let me test it out.’
I hurled my scythe at the nearest Angel.
Or rather, the scythe extended like a staff and pierced through the Angel.
[You have defeated Grade 6 Angel Ventiel!]
[Stat Points +9,161]
[Gold +91,619,482]
[Angels Defeated: 1/100]
[‘Demon Archduke’s Proxy’ buff effect grants additional stats.]
[Additional Stat Points +4,580]
‘Hoo.’
Ryu Min, who had just slain an angel, exhaled in admiration.
The buff effect had granted him a staggering fifty percent increase in stats.
‘If I leverage John Delgado here, I could orchestrate a veritable feast of stat gains.’
Ryu Min, wearing a demonic smile, commenced a full-scale angel hunt.
The hunt itself was straightforward.
All I needed to do was enlarge my scythe and swing it where angels congregated.
Then dozens of angels caught by the massive scythe would fall, spraying golden blood like leaves swept by a broom.
[You have defeated the 6th-rank angel ‘Borbiel’!]
[You have defeated the 4th-rank angel ‘Altael’!]
[You have defeated the 3rd-rank angel ‘Driel’!]
…
…
…
[Angels Slain: 138/100]
[Rune of Judgment Stack: 100/100]
[You may use ‘Heavenly Judgment’ by consuming 100 stacks.]
Dozens of angels perished without even a scream.
In mere minutes, the count had already surpassed a hundred.
‘Shall I accelerate their demise?’
Ryu Min, having accumulated sufficient stacks, activated Heavenly Judgment.
Kuwakwakwakwakwakwaboom—!
An explosive roar tore an X-shaped chasm into the ground.
[Angels Slain: 257/100]
From the rising numbers, I had eliminated nearly a hundred and twenty more.
Using the skill against a dense cluster of angels yielded such devastating results.
Perhaps that’s why—
[W-what?!]
[What’s happening?!]
The angels panicked, glancing frantically around.
When I had quietly sliced them with my scythe, they hadn’t even noticed. Only when I unleashed the skill did they finally comprehend.
Regardless, Ryu Min continued the massacre with an impassive expression.
With each sweep of the scythe, a symphony of golden blood unfurled.
Resistance was futile for the angels.
They fell helplessly, like mayflies caught in a natural disaster, reduced to nothing but corpses.
[I-isn’t that a Player?]
[What’s going on? The Player should be on our side?]
[T-this isn’t the time. We need to f-flee… Gack!]
The Angels, grasping the situation, fled in a swarm like bees scattering before a predator.
None dared even entertain the thought of resisting a player wielding Black Scythe.
The disparity in power was glaringly obvious.
Fleeing from this natural disaster was the only path to survival.
[Aaaahhhhh!]
[Help meeeee!]
The Angels were not alone in their shock at the sudden massacre unfolding within their ranks.
[Look. The Angels are in complete chaos?]
[What’s happening?]
[No idea.]
[Did Agaros infiltrate enemy lines?]
[But Agaros is right there?]
[Then what is it?]
The Demons, witnessing the absurd situation unfolding in enemy territory, ceased their fighting and watched like spectators at a show.
Regardless of what was happening, for those who had been losing ground, this was a stroke of fortune.
While both sides were bewildered by the ongoing slaughter of Angels, there were those who maintained their composure.
None other than the Saesin Religion players.
They had already been given a heads-up before the round even began.
But that composure didn’t last long.
Watching the merciless massacre and the screams, their brows furrowed slightly.
The Angels even began to seem pitiful.
“So that comment about team killing wasn’t a joke?”
“He’s really going all out killing them?”
“But won’t we lose like this? The Celestial Tribe is dwindling.”
“Then why don’t you go tell Black Scythe to stop?”
“Are you insane? How am I supposed to stop that?”
He was raging like a mad beast—how could anyone possibly intervene?
“Then just watch quietly. With Black Scythe here, what’s there to worry about?”
“Right, exactly. Even if every last Celestial dies, as long as Black Scythe remains, we can turn the tide back in our favor.”
“He must have some plan in mind.”
The players simply watched, trusting in Black Scythe.
A few who harbored ill will toward the Celestial Tribe even cheered him on to kill more.
Some watched with concern, worried about Black Scythe’s mental state.
The Celestials, for their part, were too busy fleeing.
* * *
Michael remembered the expression on his face from thirty minutes ago.
‘Black Scythe, that bastard… it felt absolutely exhilarating to shake him off.’
Yet there was a lingering sense of regret.
If I had kept Black Scythe alive until round twenty, there might have been a chance for him to become a god….
‘Never mind. It’s done now, so let’s forget about it. The war takes priority over my personal desires.’
Since the fate of the war hung in the balance, I had no choice but to hand Black Scythe over to Phlunikthos as promised.
Of course, extending the time didn’t guarantee victory in the war.
‘But at least Phlunikthos won’t be able to participate in the war now, so we’ve gained some odds of winning.’
That would suffice.
Though only I remain as an Archangel, if I fight until my body shatters, surely we can somehow win this war, can’t we?
If we play our cards right.
‘So all that’s left is to finish the friendly match of round eighteen?’
Friendly match or not, five thousand troops were participating.
Considering the real war that would come after round twenty, every single soldier was precious.
I couldn’t afford to lose any troops here.
‘I’ll kill every last one of those demon bastards with all my might.’
Black Scythe had already vanished from Michael’s mind.
Since he’d been handed over to the Demon King’s Castle, the probability of him returning alive was virtually zero.
It was nearly impossible unless the Demon Archduke released him.
But that impossible thing had become reality.
[What… what in the world is happening….]
Michael’s mind went blank at the current reality filled with screams begging for mercy.
The Celestial Tribe had been gaining the upper hand in the war, but at some point their momentum shattered.
The cause lay with none other than that creature.
That black demon rampaging like a madman right before his eyes.
‘How in the world did Black Scythe…?’
I had clearly brought him all the way to the gates of the Demon King’s Castle, yet somehow he’s emerged and is slaughtering the Angels.
‘What is this situation? He should be in a party, so how can he kill his own Celestial Tribe? What kind of magic did he use?’
In that brief moment consumed by confusion.
Kuakuakuakuakuakuabang—!
With the skill Black Scythe unleashed, over a hundred Angels perished.
‘My precious troops disappearing so pathetically like this….’
Crack—
Michael’s face twisted like a demon’s.
[I’ll kill him… I’ll kill him….]
Michael, muttering to himself, flew toward Black Scythe.
I had to stop that raging lunatic immediately.
‘But with my current power, it’s impossible.’
Michael’s strength had been reduced to one-hundredth of its original level.
Constraints are imposed in Round 18 alone to maintain balance with the other soldiers.
But constraints are merely constraints.
Depending on the situation, I can unleash my full power at any moment.
‘There’s no helping it. Even if the gods rebuke me, I have no choice but to release my power.’
Without releasing my power, I cannot defeat Black Scythe.
Michael knows this well, having been thoroughly beaten by Black Scythe before.
[However you escaped from the Demon King’s Castle, I will kill you. You ungrateful bastard.]
Michael released the constraints on his power.
Just as he drew his divine energy to its maximum and surged toward Black Scythe.
‘What?’
Black Scythe’s gaze turned toward me.
I sensed something had gone wrong, but it was already too late.
Slice—
Michael’s head was already falling to the ground, severed as if gliding through the air.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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